Covered stove



14, 1954 R. J. MERRITT, JR

COVERED STOVE Filed March 6, 1950 VII/lll United States Patent COVERED STOVE Robert J. Merritt, Jr., San Marino, Calif.

Application March 6, 1950, Seal No. 147,907

6 Claims. (Cl. 126-214) This invention relates to a covered stove and it is a 'f general object of the invention to provide a simple, practical, improved stove having a folding sectional cover operable between a down position where it covers the body of the stove and an up position where one section of the cover is available as a shelf.

The structure embodying the present invention or to which the present invention is applied is a cook stove of the domestic or home type wherein there is a boxlike body with a at top where cooking elements, such as burners and griddles are located. A rigid vertically f disposed guard is provided at the rear of the body and projects upwardly therefrom a substantial distance above the top of the body, the guard being such that it may carry or support various accessories, ornaments, or other such features as circumstances require. A cover is provided for the top of the body and involves like tiat substantially rectangular elongate sections hinged together and hinged to the body of the stove. In a preferred form the cover has a rear section hinged to the body of the stove and a front section hinged to the forward edge of the rear section. The cover sections are preferably sheet metal units which are plain and flat and are in the nature of shallow, downwardly opening shells. When the cover is down the sections are in a common horizontal plane and cover the entire top of the stove body, and when the cover is up the rear section of the cover is substantially vertical and adjacent the front of the guard while the front section extends horizontally forward from the uppermost part of the rear section. Releasable latch means act to retain the cover in the up position. This means involves a latch bolt at each end of the cover and cooperatively engageable with the guard. ln the preferred construction the guard is provided with keepers that receive the latch bolts and the bolts have lugs projecting therefrom to hook behind the keepers. Each bolt is mounted at the under side of thel front cover section to be shiftable between a retracted position where` it is entirely beneath that cover section and an extended position where it projects in a manner to cooperate with the keeper on the guard. The bolt is preferably slidably mounted so that it recprocates and is preferably. provided with a projecting handle that facilitates convenient operation. ln the preferred form the handle portion projects laterally from the bolt beneath the front section and projects through a slot in the end portion of that cover section to carry an operating knob at the exterior of that cover section.

A general object of this invention is to provide a stove of the general character referred to having releasable latch means carried by the front cover section and easily operated manually and serving to effectively maintain the cover in the up position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stove construction of the general character referred to with latch means at each end of the cover, each of the latch means being individually or independently operated manually and each serving to efectively latch the cover in the up position where one section is horizontally disposed and serves as a shelf.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stove construction of the general character referred to in which each of the latch means involved is of simple, inexpensive construction, having few simple easily operated parts that are durable and dependable in action.

The various objects and features of my invention will` be fully understood from the following detailed descriptures of this general character.

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tion of a typical preferred form andapplication of the invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a typical stove embody ing the present invention, showing the cover in the down position where it covers the top of the stove body. Fig. 2.y is a view of the stove shown in Fig. l showing the cover up where the front section of the cover is horizontally disposed to be available as a shelf. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 2 showing the manner in which the cover is latched in the up position. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. l, showing the manner in which the cover sections are disposed edge to edge and in a common horizontal plane to cover the top of the stove body. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken through the front section of the cover and the upper portion of the stove guard showing in detail a latch holding the cover in the up position. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed view taken as indicated by line 6-6 on Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken as indicated by line 7-7 on Fig. 5.

The present invention is applicable, generally, to stoves or the like and it is particularly practical as applied to domestic cook stoves and will therefore be described in that connection. The particular stove illustrated in the drawings involves a box-like body A and a vertically disposed guard B that projects upwardly from the top of the body to the back thereof, and is, in effect, a part of the body. The body A being box-like has a front 10, sides 11, a top 12 and a back 13. The front 10 of the body is occupied largely by closures for the usual stove compartments and by a panel carrying suitable controls. The top 12 of the body carries or is provided with a plurality Aof suitable cooking elements such as burners, a griddle, etc. The guard B is a rigid or in tegral extension of continuation of the body A and extends upwardly a substantial distance above the top of the body as clearly shown in the drawings, ln the usual cook stove of the character illustrated the guard B is employed as a carrier or mounting for various accessories, lights, instruments, ornaments, etc. The present invention contemplates that the guard B may vary widely in form and construction and that it may be employed to carry the usual parts or equipment found in struc- For purpose of simplicity of illustration the guard is shown plain and without features such as are referred to.

The particular guard illustrated in the drawings is shown as having a vertically disposed front panel 15 that Y extends up from the top 12 of the body A and extends from one end of the body to the other. A top 16 of the guard joins the upper edge of the panel 15 and projects rearwardly therefrom, the top being horizontally disposed. Ends 17 are provided to project rearwardly from the end edges of the panel 15 and are joined to the top 16 at their upper ends and to the body A at their lower ends. The guard construction just referred to is, in etfect, a shallow rearwardly opening box-like structure that is simple of construction and which may be made rigid even when constructed of light sheet metal.

The stove illustrated has a cover C which is hinged to the body or the structure formed by the combination of the body and the guard. The cover is of sectional construction. being formed of a front section 20 and a rear f section 21 which sections are pivotally connected by a suitable hinge means 22.

In accordance with the preferred form of the invention the cover sections 20 and 21 are like tlat rectangular elements which are elongate and disposed to extend lengthwise of the stove from one end to the other. When theA sections 20 and 21 are together edge to edge in a horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. l, they form a cover over the top 12 of body A shielding and concealing the cooking elements at the top 12. In the particular form of construction illustrated each section of the cover has a flat plain panel portion 25, side flanges 26 that depend from the side or longitudinal edges of the panel 25 and end flanges 27 that depend from the ends of panel 25. The panel and anges are preferably formed from a single sheet or body of sheet metal and the flanges 26 3 and 27 are of limited vertical extent or project only a short distance from the panel 25 so that the cover section is, in effect, a shallow shell-like element opening downwardly when the sections are disposed as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings.

Hinge means 3ft pivotally connects the cover C to the body and guard and in practice it includes one o-r more suitable hinges located at the rear edge of the rear cover section 2l so that section is operable between a down position such as is shown in Figs. l and 4 and an up position such as is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. In the particular case illustrated the hinges of means 3) connect the rear section 21 to the panel 15 of the guard at the corner where the guard joins the body so the cover is, in effect, joined to the upper rear portion of the body A.

When the cover is up, as shown in Fig. 3, the side flange 26 at the forward edge of section 2l is at the uppermost part of the section 2l and extends or projects forward. ln the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated the flange or upper edge of section 21 is substantially flush with the top f6 of guard B when the cover is up.

The means 22 pivotally connecting the cover sections 20 and 2l may involve suitable hinges arranged along the cover where the rear edge of section 2l abuts the forward edge of section 2l. The hinges of means 22 are preferably carried by the anges 26 of the cover sections where these sections abut and the pivot pins 3S of the hinges are preferably located at or close to the outer or terminal edges of these flanges so that when the cover is up and the section 21 horizontally disposed the flanges 26 at the adjoining edges of the sections are at substantially right angles to each other and the fiange 26 on section Ztl extends up from the pivotal axis to face rearwardly above the ange 26 on the section 2l.

The present invention provides latch means for releasably holding or securing the cover C in the up position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. ln accordance with the preferred form of the invention the latch means invoives two like latch units, one at each end portion of the cover, and each of these units cooperatively engages or cooperates with the guard B in holding the cover in the usual up position. Since the two latch units are alike the following description of one is to be understood as applicable to both.

Each latch unit in its preferred form is characterized by a latch bolt dil, means fil mounting the latch bolt on the cover, and a keeper or the like 42 on the guard B to receive and cooperate with the bolt.

it is preferred that the means il be applied to or carried by the front cover section 2b so that the bolt is carried by that section of the cover and in the preferred construction the means 4l slidably supports the bolt 4b so that it can be reciprocated between a retracted position where it is confined to the cover section 2@ and does not project therefrom, and a working position where it projects a substantial distance from the rear edge of section Ztl and is engageable with the keeper 42.

The particular mounting means 41 illustrated in the drawings is, in effect, a guide and is shown as involving a base plate 45 fixed to the under side of panel 25 inward of and parallel with one end flange 27, as clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Side plates 46 joined by a web 47 are connected to the base 45 by flanges 43 and define a guideway 113-9 in which the bolt is slidably carried. The bolt in this particular case is an elongate bar rectangular in cross sectional configuration and the guide supports the bolt so that it is in a vertical plane. The side flanges 26 of cover section 20 at the rear edge of the section is provided with an opening, preferably a notch which freely passes the bolt 4t) so that it can be recinrocated between the positions above described.

The keeper 42 which may be a part of the guard B or an element attached to the guard B as circumstances require has an opening that receives the projecting end portion of latch bolt 4l) and the bolt is provided with a laterally projecting lug 5l which hooks behind the part with the opening 59 to latch the bolt to the guard. In the particular case illustrated the keeper d2 is a. fitting or attachment formed separately from the other parts of the guard and secured thereto by suitable fasteners 5S. in the keeper 42 is of sufficient extent vertically to allow the section to be tipped somewhat up at the lt is to be observed that the opening 50- forward end as the notched portion of the bolt passes through the keeper. With the construction thus far described when the bolt is extended or in the operating position shown in Figs. 3 and 5 it can be latched or hooked to the keeper 42 so that the section 20 is effectively supported in the horizontal position. As the structure operates to support the section 2t) in the horizontal position down thrust is taken through the section 2l of the cover and upward thrust is taken by the keeper.

lt is preferred, in practice, to provide for convenient operation of the bolt 40 and in the preferred construction the bolt has a laterally projecting handle portion 6b. In the particular case illustrated the bolt is of such length as to have a portion projecting forward from the guide 41 even when the bolt is in operating position and the laterally projecting handle part is carried by this forwardly projecting portion of the bolt. It is preferred that the handle part 60 be disposed parallel with the panel 25 of cover section 20 and in the preferred form of the invention the handle .part dil projects through a slot 61 in the end flange 27 and carries an operating knob 62 at the exterior of that flange. In practice the handle part 60 and slot 6i may be related so that when the handle is at one end of the slot, say the rear end,

- the bolt is fully projected or is in working position,

whereas when the handle is at the other or forward end of the slot the bolt is fully retracted. By providing the knob 62 on the handle at the exterior of the flange 27 the bolt can be easily operated without the user inserting his hand beneath the panel of the cover section 20.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that l have, by my present invention, provided a simple latch construction for holding the cover in the up position and this construction involves two very simple latch mechanisms which are independently operable manually and which, when engaged, serve to effectively support the cover at each end thereof. Each latch is not onljl simple and convenient to operate but involves few simple practical parts, the only moving part being the bolt unit which has the handle 69 projecting therefrom, and being, in effect, a part thereof.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, l do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. A stove including, a combined body and guard, the body being box-shaped and the guard being joined to the body and projecting up at the rear of the body, a cover hinged to the combined body and guard and including front and rear sections pivotally connected together, the cover being movable between a down position where the sections are in a common horizontal plane and cover the top of the body and an up position where the rear section projects up immediately in front of the guard and the front section projects horizontally forward from the uppermost portion of the rear section, and means releasably holding the cover in the up position including, bolts slidably carried by the cover and operable between retracted positions and extended positions where they have cooperative engagement with the guard, each bolt having a guide slidably supporting it parallel with an end of the front panel and having a laterally projecting handle portion accessible at said end of the panel.

2. A stove including, a combined body and guard, the body being box-shaped and the guard being joined to the body and projecting up at the rear of the body, a cover hinged to the combined body and guard and including front and rear sections pivotally connected together, the cover being movable between a down position where the sections are inl a common horizontal plane and cover the top of the body'varid an up position where the rear section projects up immediately in front of 'the guard and the front section projects horizontally forward from the uppermost portion of the rear section, and means releasably holding the cover in the up position including, bolts slidably carried by the cover and operable between retracted positions and extended positions where they have cooperative engagement with the guard, each bolt having a guide slidably supporting it parallel with an end of the front panel and having a laterally projecting handle portion projecting from said end of the front panel.

3. In combination, a box-shaped stove body with a guard projecting up at the rear thereof, apertured plates on the guard, a cover hinged adjacent the point where the guard joins the body and including front and rear sections pivotally connected together, the cover being movable between a down position where the sections are in a common horizontal plane and cover the top of the body and an up position where the rear section projects up immediately in front of the guard and the front section projects horizontally forward from the uppermost portion of the rear section, and means releasably holding the cover in the up position including, bolts slidably carried by the cover and operable between retracted positions and extended positions where they have cooperative engagement with the plates, the bolts being engageable through the plates and having lugs thereon that hook to the plates.

4. In combination, a box-shaped stove body with a guard projecting up at the rear thereof, apertured plates on the top of the guard, a cover hinged adjacent the point where the guard joins the body and including front and rear sections pivotally connected together, the cover being movable between a down position where the sections are in a common horizontal plane and cover the top of the body and an up position where the rear section projects up immediately in front of the guard and the front section projects horizontally forward from the uppermost portion of the rear section, and means releasably holding the cover in the up position including, bolts slidably carried by the cover and operable between retracted positions and extended positions where they engage over the guard and have hook engagement with the plates.

5. A stove including, a combined body and guard, the body being box-shaped and the guard being joined to the body and projecting up at the rear of the body, a cover hinged to the combined body and guard and including front and rear sections pivotally connected together, the cover being movable between a down position where the sections are in a common horizontal plane and cover the top of the body and an up position where the rear section projects up immediately in front of the guard and the front section projects horizontally forward from the uppermost portion of the rear section, and means releasably holding the cover in the up position including, like bolts with hooked end portions and slidably carried by the front section of the cover and operable between retracted positions where they are wholly beneath the front section and extended positions where their said end portions are adapted to have hooked engagement with the guard, the front section having a panel and depending marginal anges and the bolts being at the bottom of the panel and within the connes of the ilanges.

6. A stove including, a combined body and guard, the body being box-shaped and the guard being joined to the body and projecting up at the rear of the body, a cover hinged to the combined body and guard and including front and rear sections pivotally connected together, the cover being movable between a down position where the sections are in a common horizontal plane and cover the top of the body and an up position Where the rear section projects up immediately in front of the guard and the front section projects horizontally forward from the uppermost portion of the rear section, and means releasably holding the cover in the up position including, like bolts with like hook-shaped end portions and slidably carried by the front section of the cover and operable between retracted positions where they are wholly beneath the front section and extended positions where their said end portions have hooked engagement with the guard, the front section having a panel and depending marginal flanges and the bolts being at the bottom of the panel and within the contines of the flanges, the flanges at the rear edge of the front section having openings passing the bolts.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 701,666 Ank June 3, 1902 788,899 Grieves May 2, 1905 1,178,258 Moore Apr. 4, 1916 1,191,307 Hornschurch July 18, 1916 1,618,567 Brown Feb. 22, 1927 2,332,760 Smallen Oct. 26, 1943 

